Diamonds are loved by all because of the unique beauty and “timeless” quality they have. However, as they cost a pretty penny, they have to be tested in order to find out whether they are fakes or not. It is important to buy your stone or jewelry from a jeweler who is trustworthy. One should make sure to ask for the stone’s certification, which is got from a diamond “Grading” authority that is recognized. Checking the stone for scuffs, scratches and other damages through a magnifying glass will help.

There are different methods of testing diamonds and knowing whether your stone is a genuine diamond or a cubic zirconia. Use a Diamond electronic tester that can usually check most types. The weight test will tell you if it is real or fake because cubic zirconia is almost 50% more than the genuine diamond even if it is of the same shape and size. A carat or gram scale will help you to evaluate the stone. Use the transparency test by flipping the stone upside down over a newspaper and see if you can read clearly. A real diamond will not let you read the print clearly. Fog the stone by breathing over it. A real diamond will disperse heat very rapidly and clear up very quickly where as a fake will stay foggy.

It is found that you can test a stone for its authenticity using heat without causing the stone any harm. Genuine diamonds do not heat up during this test and disperse the heat almost immediately. Thus you can conduct this test in just 30 seconds. Most jewelry shops perform/conduct this heat test to determine if the stone is fake or not – completely free without any charge.

A genuine diamond is a very effective and good thermal conductor and also an electrical insulator. A thermal electronic probe is used to separate imitations from real diamonds. The probe has a pair of thermistors that are battery powered and mounted in a tip that is made of copper. One of these thermistors acts like a heating device and the other is used to measure the copper tip temperature. If the stone being tested is a real diamond, then the thermal energy of the copper tip will be conducted rapidly so as to enable a temperature drop that is measurable. Because stimulants are mostly thermal insulators, the heat of the thermistor won’t therefore be conducted. The whole test can be conducted in less than 3 seconds! The exception to the rule is when you are testing moissanite because it has a similar thermal conductivity to that of a diamond. However, new electrical and thermal testers are very sophisticated and can easily differentiate between the two.

People sometimes consider buying cubic zirconium jewelry because they feel that the cubic zirconia is in a way more pure on account of its perfect structure. Besides being cheaper than genuine diamond, the fact that most people will never make out the difference is another factor why people buy them.

Simple tests like the ones mentioned above will help you to determine the authenticity of the stone. The Fog Test is actually the Heat test and is used most of the time. When you put the stone in front of you and try to fog it like you usually do in front of a mirror you can find out almost at once if the stone is real or not. The genuine article will disperse all heat almost instantly, and when you look at it you will see that the stone is absolutely clear and not fogged up at all. On the other hand a fake stone or a cubic zirconia will not clear up instantly.

However there is a disadvantage or downfall to this heat test that can surely affect its accuracy and reliability. It is extremely important to make sure that the stone being tested is free of any dirt or old. Also make sure that the stone being tested is not a “doublet” – the bottom of the stone is cubic zirconia while the top is diamond – or else the heat test will not be accurate.

Other diamond tests can be conducted for diamonds that are loose and unmounted and not in any jewelry setting. A cubic zirconia repels grease while a real diamond attracts grease. So, one can test the stone by making a mark on it with a felt pen or grease pen. UV tests are also used to separate the imposters from the genuine. It is important to note that not all techniques and tests are 100% conclusive and reliable.